Tea Party' protest set for this weekend

PLATTSBURGH - The city of Plattsburgh will among cities across the nation protesting "fiscal irresponsibility" in Washington, D.C., and Albany this Fourth of July.

A "Tea Party" will be held at this Saturday, July 4, at Trinity Park on City Hall Place beginning at 10 a.m. The event is mirrored after the infamous Boston Tea Party held in December 1773 in which colonists protested taxes of the British government.

According to co-organizers of the event, Jonathan Nelson and Oliver M. Barie, this will mark Plattsburgh's second protest by local residents in three months. April's Tea Party attracted nearly 100 protestors, a number which Nelson and Barie expect to double this Saturday.

"We cannot just sit here and watch as our government creates massive debt for generations to come," said Nelson.

"Our government thinks it can spend its way out of debt," added Barie. "I may be only 19, but even I know that the answer to massive debt is not more of the same."

The program will include an open microphone session with a maximum of two minutes for any person wishing to speak in support of fiscal responsibility. The protest will last approximately one hour and will conclude with a tribute to the original Independence Day.

Attendees are encouraged to bring flags and homemade signs. Those wishing to assist or make donations to cover expenses are asked to contact Barie at 420-2486 or Nelson at 569-7574.